


Run()

by preludedArtist



Category: Transistor (Video Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Did not know that was a tag but i love it?, Other, References to Canon, some op headcannons but those wont affect the fic much
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2016-05-16
Packaged: 2018-05-07 16:17:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5463041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/preludedArtist/pseuds/preludedArtist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU where Royce is the one with the Transistor all throughout the game, running through Cloudblank all because of a failed plan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Outro >>> Intro

**Author's Note:**

> Me: *Sees that 4 months had gone by*
> 
> Me: I should write something
> 
> Okay. So. The fic is basically as the summary said. Instead of Red being stuck with the Transistor from the beginning, it was Royce who managed to get hold of it and now has to go around Cloudbank to find his associates. 
> 
> This was a lot shorter than I wanted it to be ahh! This started out as a 3shot but who even knows. First chapter comes off as slightly experimental, my apologies.

 “It’s starting to look good.” Sybil comments, always having to look up whenever Royce builds or rebuilds a structure. “Are you going to be doing anything new? You’re always having to do something new, aren’t you?”

 Royce doesn’t answer her, the transistor hovering next to him and following him wherever he’d walk off to. He ignores the bland handiworks of the process, not sparing another glance at the blank walls and floors and buildings. He’s unsure as to why he’s arrived onto the Fairview Bridge, right at the edge of Cloudbank. It unsettled him how unrecognizable it looked, the usual bright lights, busy walkways, and colorful buildings now reduced to blank canvases waiting to be used.

 “You’re free to do what you like. Hopefully you won’t mind us having an input?” Grant would ask, tone shifted as if joking.

 Again Royce doesn’t answer, raising his arm and uncurling his fingers with a flick of his wrist to set the Transistor to work. The device goes to the bundle of blocks that it had been directed to and it flooded the area with light, causing the blocks to disappear and suddenly reveal a flowing fountain. Good. Good. It still works. As it should.

 “I suppose you have a specific area that you’d like to start with?” Asher would input, and like the attempts of the first two, Royce was nonrespondent. The former engineer walked right by the blank canvas of a city, seeming to have a certain goal or location in mind. Asher had been correct.

 It was difficult to listen to them all asking him questions or demanding any type of input. Their voices were slightly, just slightly, distorted as they spoke from the Transistor. It’s understandable. It’s quite lucky that they were able to sound the slightest like themselves after the integrations and data processing. Sure, the three of them sounded a bit muffled, but other than that their company was certainly… presentable.

 They speak among themselves and it’s impossible to tell whether Royce found comfort in their chattering or not. It’s not that he felt indifferent. Of course this entire thing was an enormous impact.

  _“This is for Grant. This is for Asher. This is for Sybil.” He had said earlier during his fight with Ms. Red. He’d never felt that worked up before in his life; breath hard, heart pounding, and adrenaline buzzing through his body like fire and instinct. He had meant every taunt and every teasing jab to the woman, not surprised at how well she put up a fight but honestly there is no one that could handle or was better suited for the transistor better than he himself._

 The process, which he had looked up to to assist him with his work, he couldn’t help but grimace as he passed them. He knew that they could get misguided without someone there controlling them but he hadn’t at all expected them to be hostile. They were acting tranquil now, as though not a thing happened. They zapped at the walls and ruined structures, attempting to build them back up. It was their job. Destroying had also been their job. They did their job.

 “I’m sorry.” Royce faintly hears Sybil’s voice speak up, tuning him back into the conversation. “I wasn’t thinking. I didn’t think of what would happen. I… was so sure.. I’m..”

 No one answers for a moment. Royce walks ahead, riding on platforms and walking passed the used to be businesses.

 He remembers getting food there, one of the tallest new buildings. A place called Meelo’s? He wasn’t alone when he went, walking alongside in the cold weather with the rest of his associates.

 Technically… he was doing the same thing now. Except now he wasn’t enjoying himself.

“There is no fixing the mistakes that you have done.” Grant would say, voice slightly gruffed in that way it’d do when he was serious. It only made it sound more staticky coming from the Transistor. “What you have done has caused us all and the city too much. It caused everyone to lose everything. You not being able to think properly was of no excuse.”

 Again there was no answer after that. It was reality after all. They would all have plenty of time to discuss this.

 Royce takes a right, immediately noticing the classy dark red carpeting and golden tiles on the walkway. The hot lights above him glared down at him as he went on along the runway. On both sides of him are seatings, many rows of chairs, all facing towards the stage.

 A faraway thought comes along and for a moment he nearly hopes that… maybe some part of Sybil… anything… no no. That would be impossible. He can’t start thinking irrationally now. She was destroyed. She was gone. Not even a body left behind from her. He looked down at the spot where she had been struck. Where he had struck her. There were still shattered pieces of her and shards still scattered around.

 “There’s nothing left of me, is there?” She would question, the tone in her voice nearly completely unrecognizable. “You had no choice. It had… to be done.”

 She’s right. She’s absolutely right. Be he can’t still help but wonder. After all, it was all but a few hours ago.

 

* * *

 

A Few Hours Ago

 

 He doesn’t go out to these areas often, not being one to usually attend live shows. This was more of Sybil’s kind of thing. They were here to get Red’s trace; they all already knew what her function would be. Grant extended his hand, like Royce had shown him how to, and the Transistor surges forward. The singer had screamed. Her man got in the way.

 Royce found himself reaching out. _It has to come back it has to come back it has to come back. It’s his it’s his. It belonged to him he’s recorded in there no one else can have it._

 The pull of the Transistor rushes back to Royce, who was waiting with an outstretched hand. Red and the man had disappeared in a flash of crimson. There’s blood where they had previously stood. He doesn’t care where they had gone. They had struck the wrong person- a person that he had no idea existed. Who knows what could happen- if the Transistor would be corrupted or harmed. His fingers wrapped around the hilt of the device and his entire arm suddenly seemed to ache. In no sooner than a second, he was gone too, seeing nothing but light.

~~ >>>>>>~~

 He’d suddenly finds himself in a dark area, rain drizzling down over him. How… uncomfortable. He doesn’t know how he had arrived outside- he was pretty far away from the theater and the stage. He was aware that the Transistor was able to transport from place to place… he was just unsure as to why the others hadn’t been taken along with him.

 He feels cold for some reason, his only assurance was that the Transistor was at his side. It hovered next to him, it’s warm turquoise light illuminating the dark tiles.

 Ah. This was the Northwest part of town. He can see Fairview from here. Walking to the nearest OVC, he reads about the petition to build a bridge connecting Cloudbank to Fairview. These people… can’t make up their damned minds, can they? While he can openly admit that a bridge would be beneficial, all he could think about was how sooner or later, they’d want to tear it down for something new. Something better. Like all his other projects.

 The Transistor by his side, Royce makes his way to the open theater. It was going to be a bit of a long walk considering that he was at the edge of town. It wasn’t long before he could hear the sound of a zap.

  Was this… the process? What were they doing?

 “No no no, quit that.” He murmurs, raising his hand as the Transistor hovers in front of him. He meant to stop the Process but… the Transistor’s “eye” makes a crackling noise. And then no reaction after that. Royce is confused, brows furrowed as he thought about just why the device wasn’t able to send a clear order. Instead, he finds himself lurching forward, pushed back all of a sudden as his body gave a jerk from the sudden impact of pain. He looks up, shock on his face, when he realized that it had been the process themselves that had attacked.

_Oh no no no no._

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will move on forward quicker/ will have way more action. :')


	2. Help()

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet Sybil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to test out writing a some combat using the Transistor techniques and it was super nice! I had a bunch of fun writing this chapter honestly!!
> 
> Chapter goes through short time skips but you'll know when they come (because really if I wrote about every single area the fic would just drag on.

 Royce grabs onto the hilt of the Transistor and he’s stabbed the device into the ground, pressing forward and forming an orb that would slowly make its way towards his assailant. He can feel his cheeks flush as he had to constantly run around and avoid attacks while also having to produce them.

  _Head in the game head in the game head in the game._

He would hiss when struck, mainly as a quick reaction considering that it hadn’t hurt that bad at all. The cells he was up against were different, their metallic outwear a dark shade of black instead of the usual white that was produced. He knows they were able to evolve or mutate even; anything that could help benefit any future projects.

_They are not supposed to do it on their own they need to be controlled they have no control they have no control._

 He’s studied them all. Even given them little names to differentiate them. There’s a small feeling of betrayal in the _air_ as his own work and modifications were turning against him.

He raises a hand and quickly uses the Transistor to block the assault coming from behind, managing to use the sword as a hovering shield. Without wasting another breath he grasps the hilt and stabs it down to the ground one, two, three times, flooding the two bad cells with strikes and watching them finally burst into pieces. It’s eerily quiet then, something very unusual when it comes to Cloudbank.

 Royce continues on his way, trying to mentally map out which routes would be the quickest to the amphitheater. Had the others managed to leave the theater in one piece? Or could his own spontaneous teleportation affected them all and sent them to different areas. No no, he would have found them by now. They would have had to had landed close to the Transistor. He hasn’t seen anyone in the past half hour. They must have been left back at the theater for sure. With that in mind he picks up the pace, long legs naturally used to taking long strides.

 

~~ >>> ~~

 

 He’s always expecting a fight with every corner he turns. Each assault loses its spontaneity and it doesn’t take Royce long to get used to them. He’s picked up on a few things, finding travel or quick escapes easier with the use of jaunt(). The Transistor was capable of _teleportation_. No doubt it was capable to rushing him a few yards to the side in the blink of an eye. It was incredibly useful. Especially when he suddenly found himself battling against a Jerk. He recalls studying them, deeming them an older and sturdier prototype. No doubt they still had been useful or why else were they still being produced?

 Royce strikes the big guy with a few crashes, trying to distance it. Its attacks worked best with closer proximities so he figured that standing further away from it was what was best suited. He’s startled when he was unwillingly pulled backwards towards the jerk and he turns around to see just what the hell that was about- _oh._ Annoyance flickered across his expression before he strikes down at the creeper that had so suddenly spawned. In that short moment distracted by the new enemy, the Jerk managed to catch up to him and in less than a second begins to pummel at him.

  _Focus focus focus there are only two this is nothing don’t lose._

 Any more damage and he might lose a function _dammit._ He decides to use a turn, needing to plan out just how he would attack. _Flood. Flood. Crash. Crash. Crash._

 As soon as he lets his own attacks come to work he jaunts away for distance as the Transistor reloaded itself. He uses flood once more, following them with a breach and _finally_ that seemed to do it. He can hear the distant rumbling of another Jerk, more than likely coming his way. The quicker way to the theater was to go to that same direction.

 … Here goes nothing.

 

~~ >>> >>> >>> ~~

 

 Royce handles the motorbike nicely, going at top speed onto the empty freeway. He keeps his eyes straight ahead, glancing up at the signs only to make sure he takes the correct turn, He could see Bracket Towers from here, standing tall in the distance among various others tall towers. Ah, that could be his second destination. If they were not at the theater then that’s the next place he’ll make his way to. He takes a quick left then, steadying the bike quickly when it leaned in to far due to the weight of the Transistor. There was no one crowding the city now- he could ride this all the way to the theater? It would certainly more-- nevermind.

 Tall blank blocks popped up in his path at the last second and he ends up throwing himself to avoid getting thrown off by force. His landing could have been better, almost immediately having had felt a shocking stinging shoot up from his angle. Quite an unlucky day it was.

 The following routine was the same: walk a lot, fight things, check the OVC...

 “ _not what you think,. absolutely do not run into the process.. very bad idea._ ” He types, sending it without a second thought. It isn’t like he purposely programed the Process to go around hurting others. He wonders how many people have fallen victim. How many people must have already become part of this expanding blank canvas. No doubt what remained of their bodies was already lost. This could still be fixed… not sure about the casualties.

 Royce turns a corner, looking down when the quiet taps of his shoes were completely silenced by the red carpet.

 The amphitheater was now just two or three blocks away. Not a being in sight.

  _They could still be here._ He couldn’t help but think.

 He looks through the seats, for a sign or anything. He climbs the steps to check the balconies.     

_There’s nothing here._

This was all frustrating. He couldn’t find any a single thing not even a single person. It’s starting to make him anxious, as much as he would hate to admit. Maybe the three of them managed to make their escape to the Towers. Quite the distance from here but there are many ways to make it.

 “ __0yce…….. r0_ce…… ……... R_yce..”_

 Royce gets ready to leave the amphitheatre, giving the place a quick look over once more  before suddenly he managed to hear a very far away distorted mumbling. He turns to the stage, surprised to see that nearly half of it was already blanked out in white. He couldn’t see if anyone was there from this angle, and had no choice but to prop himself up and stand on stage, a position he’d never consider himself doing. Maybe the singer Red had stayed behind after all? Who else could it be lingering here? He slowly makes his way to the center, the Transistor quietly hovering behind him.

 The distorted voice spoke again, it’s origin coming from the… woman?... who had been kneeling on the ground. Had she been here this whole time?

 “Sybil?” Was all he could question, unsure whether to step forward and investigate or step back when he couldn’t help but feel threatened.

  _“_ou left us y0_u weren’t there a_ymore she l_ft me wher_ is she wher_  were you _ou werE g_ne”_  She stands- she rises- hovering high above the ground and towering over him. He never expected to live and see the day where Sybil could surpass his height. Oh, what to taunt her with now?

 “ _it_s doomed us its doom_d us--”_

 The parasol she held opened up, as if building momentum, and it closed itself tightly. It looked too much like a lance.

 Royce backs up completely, unable to help the shocked expression he’s making. Is this what happens when people live through the processing? When they’re not destroyed? “This isn’t you, right? It’s not you. Sybil-” He jaunts to the side when she _lunges_ at him, just barely dodging the spearpoint of her lance. “Wait I-” He dodges again, running all the way to the other side of the stage and trying to hide himself against a few of the tall white blocks; he needed to catch his breath.

 There’s some of her in there she can’t be completely lost. Even if she might be stuck like that for her lifetime she could still be trapped in there. He could fix her- he could fix anything he has to fix everything.

 !!!

 He doubles over and he sees the lance come out through his chest. He manages to sloppily jaunt away from Sybil’s attack.

_She got him she got him and it hurts it fucking hurts he can’t get distracted she’s too volatile._

He checks himself, hand nearly shaking when he brings it up to his chest. There was no sign of a wound; not even blood. The damned thing went _through_ him. He’s not going to question it. Not now.

 This was happening too fast. He reaches to the hovering Transistor and the hilt is in his hand. He initiates a turn, the area around him practically freezing over as he’s left alone with the Transistor to plan things though. He analyzes her. 98% processed. There still had to be a way. Maybe he’s missing the smallest detail. For now, he attacks her, hitting her with a crash to move her back.

 “ _h_w dare y0u how dar_  you h0w d_re -!!”_

 He’s running as his turn loads, turning around and sending combinations of floods or crashes her way. He manages to drain her, tire her out, but when he steps close to check over her she suddenly jumps back up. Her strength was more than it had been before. “ _w_nted t0 sav_ heR wan_ed to _ave hEr wh_ere iS sHe wHer_-?”_

 “I can help you. I can fix all of this. Granted it might-” He jaunts to the side, then behind her, and hits her with a crash to build distance. “It might take time. I need time to plan for a solution. Anything to fix the mess but-” He jaunts again, though, hisses when he’s attacked from the back by more of them. Damnit he had to deal with these ones, too?

 Out of pure spite, Royce manages several overkills and the Transistor seems to nearly buzz in complaint. He turns back to Sybil, about to speak to her once more but ends up shooting at her in pure panic as soon as that lance was racing towards him.

 “Give me a chance. Give me a _chance_!” This one knocks her down again, compressing her into an angry orb of light before she’s back good as new, no doubt her strength better than the last.

 “ _aL0n_ aloNe_ _t0ld y0u She w_uld bE alon_ I toLd y_u… ”_

 She lunges at him again and his jaunt very stupidly stops him right in front of the tall blocks. Shit shit if she catches him he’ll lose a function. “I can bring it all back, Sybil, I can bring you back!”

 Royce is not sure if she heard him… but she seems to have faltered. A second later she’s back to her full speed but that little bit of a second just now gave him enough time to move. She completely shreds the lower half of his coat and for a moment his mind drifts off to how distraught Sybil would be to see the ruined fabric. The processed Sybil launches again and he jaunts out of the way, realization briefly clouding his expression.

_She’s gone she’s too far gone he can’t get to her no one could ever get to her he had to do something he had to free her from this transformation. Stop her even while she had the smallest percentage of sanity left._

 Before he could be maimed he initiates a turn, going at her with all he had and running out of her way. His turn goes and he watches it at work, bringing the rest of her health to a high two digit number. He raises the Transistor and brings it down, quickly sending crashes and floods to her way to finally put her to… rest. _Damnit_ it was still not enough; close though.

 “Sybil I can-” She’s behind him. His shoulder is stinging and she practically flings him off her lance. It aches intensely where she’s stabbed him, feeling like a burn that won’t go away. He raises a hand, eyes wide and trying to stop his legs from shaking too much before he sends the sword flying. It strikes her.

 “ _yo_ were gonE y0_ disaPpeaR_d y__ wEre g0ne-_ ” And a metallic scream ripped out of her.

 Her form is compressed again and for a moment Royce is dreading that she might come back stronger than ever… only to then see her form shatter. She’s laid on the floor, dragging her serpentine like body with her arms.

 Royce goes to her, hand tight on the Transistor’s hilt.

 No matter what he did to bring her back to her senses or to get her to stop and pay attention to him, it just wouldn’t work. He kneeled by her. Called her name. Shouted. Slammed down the Transistor near her to startle her or get some kind of sign. But she kept pathetically crawling away, dragging herself as if she didn’t even notice him.

 He _can’t_ leave her like this.

 Royce raises the blade over his head, not giving it another thought before he strikes Sybil down one last time.

 Some of her shatters, black shards bouncing off as she goes completely limp.

 He lets the Transistor do its thing; it integrates her and he doesn’t _care_.

 There is a warbled sound as the integration is completed, the Transistor brightening up as it converts her into data.

 “ _wh_ ___ __u l_av_…? ev___ 0n_ le__. _Hy_Uuu w_ h __er_ am I? Wh_ ere is this..? I c _an_ ’t…

 Royce stares the sword down. He hasn’t a thing to say to her. He couldn’t pick one out of the many questions or things he had to say. Why was she still here? Why didn’t she leave? He didn’t want to kill her. How did she end up losing her mind? How was it that the process did this to her? He’s sorry. What did the integration feel like? How was it in there?

 “Did you think she would come back here?” Was the first thing he could finally say.

 There was more of that warbled sound. Then.

 “I w _an_ te_ to ap_ _l_ _gi__ _to h_ e_. I __d_’_ me__ _or th_is.”

 Her voice was clearer, less metallic and droid like. There were still bits and pieces missing to it. Perhaps that could be fixed.

 “Where did the others go?” Had to ask the straightforward questions first; those might get a clearer answer?

 The Transistor lights up when she speaks. “_ow__o__ _n. Do__ ntow_n _n._ ”

 “Downtown?”

  “Th_ to _w__ e_s. Tow_ w _w____ers._ ”

  “The towers?” He’d guessed it previously, but it was best to be sure and avoid losing time. He shrugs off his shredded coat, tossing it over the shattered remains of what had been left of Sybil.

 Royce leaves the stage, figuring that it being so close to the water that it hopefully might have some form of transportation that could help him get to Bracket Towers quicker. Luckily, he was right. He’s boarded onto the speedboat, figuring that he’d get the hang of it eventually. He makes sure the Transistor was secure, setting off and leaving that part of Cloudbank behind.

He was probably going to be back soon.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Trying to keep updates as consistent as possible because god knows I suddenly disappear when classes start)


	3. Incoming Call()

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They thought they had a lead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Actual dialogue happens oooh.
> 
> I think this fic is gonna be between 5-7 chapters? But so sorry for the long hiatus ; ;

 

 Sybil really did decorate this place to her own liking.

 The sandbox had a large tree that he didn’t remember designing or placing there. There was a hammock to his right, a music player and lit campfire right up ahead.

He’s not sure why Sybil had wanted to come here. Not if there wasn’t anything useful. Still, if there was one thing he could understand is that even Sybil needed a place where she could be off by herself. That he can completely understand.

“Y_o sh_uld s_it on th_ h_am_ck.” Her voice was still distorted, but he finds himself getting more and more accustomed to it.

 Royce rolls his eyes. “I’m not going to sit on the hammock.” They had to _go_. “We’re finished here?”

 “_es. I j_st w_nted t_ see it.” Sybil answers, the Transistor lighting up with every word that she spoke.  

 “And now you saw it. We don’t have time to be in here.” Royce would say, sparing the sandbox one final look before returning back to the _real_ world.

Once all of this was solved, they could sit around and do nothing for as long as they pleased.

 

~~ >>>> ~~

 

“Wh_t ar_e you _doin_g?”

 Royce is holding up his portable OVC tablet, trying to see if he could solve the sudden problem with the system. “Working out some communication obstacles. See if I could snatch any kind of signal.”

 He’s gone to one of the many OVC terminals, moving some cables and connecting and disconnecting and plugging in cords into his tablet to establish any kind of connection. “Bracket Towers have an abundance of those ahhh back up generators? If you want to call it that. Doesn’t matter, really. If Grant and Asher are there then there could be a way to speed things up. Not have to go through everything else- time is of the essence. From their location they could get into my account, pull up Cloudbank’s blueprint and from here I could give them the authority to override the votes. Build that bridge to Fairview to get to my lab.”

 He types something into his OVC tablet, trying not to show too much frustration. Yes, yes he was wasting time here, spending five minutes standing around in the same spot was _not the best idea_ right now. But imagine all that time he could save if he could communicate with the other two to do what he intended. His trip would be cut shorter by more than half.

Trying to input the setting and reconnect with the system, Royce gives the Transistor a little glance. It was perched by the wall right next to OVC terminal, dimly lit with its blue glow as it stood by inactively. Sybil has been quiet. The current circumstances are different _extremely_ different which makes her silence understandable. Not knowing if one was dead or not- it’s kind of tough. Royce doesn’t think she’s dead. He tries not to think about that at all, honestly. Whatever had been physically left of her he had completely destroyed it. Shattered it to little pieces and converted her into data.  

 His thoughts are briefly interrupted by the sound of the terminals, a small green light repeatedly blinking on the corner of the screens. Royce looks down at his tablet.

**Terminal wireless: Connected**

**Cloud data: Authorized**

**User Authenticated: Royce Bracket [Status: Online]**

Progress progress progress. He scrolls through his recent contacts, immediately finding Grant’s name.

**[Grant Kendrell added to Topic.]**

There was no doubt that he and Asher were together but just in case..

 **[Grant Kendrell added to Topic.** **  
** **Asher Kendrell added to Topic.]**

And before he could think of anything to write- mainly instructions, he immediately gets ambushed by his tablet’s constant notification sounds.

**[103 Unread messages]**

**[28 Missed Calls]**

All within the past few hours. Nearly all of them were from Asher. And speaking of which…

**[Incoming Call: Asher Kendrell]**

Royce swipes the screen, Asher’s face immediately replacing the text.

“Royce! There you are! I’ve been trying to contact you for hours. I’ve been trying to contact anyone.” was Asher’s greeting and Royce was still surprised with how frazzled the other looked.

Find some words find some words.

“Uh yes. Yes, the wireless system has been disconnected.  Most likely the process they must have ah.. perhaps they must have already taken down most of the connection towers.”

“Where did you go? We lost you and we lost Sybil.” Royce could hear the frustration in Asher’s voice, seeing the other man anxiously run his hand through his hair. “Neither of you would answer. More than half the city is gone I- Grant and I assumed the worse.”

“This can be fixed.” Royce would intervene and he started to speak again when noting the other’s confused expression. “The process can be stopped and I need to access my lab for it.”

Asher looks conflicted. “You can’t access your... “ And then he nods. “That’s right. Fairview.”

“Yes. If from Bracket Towers you could access my account to override the voting, the bridge to Fairview can be constructed. I can send over my information from here.”

From the screen Royce could see Asher set the tablet aside and he could hear the tapping as younger man types. Royce types in his own information, sending it to Asher in a private direct message. It gnaws at him to send personal data over to someone else. His numbers and his passwords and with no guilt Royce was already considering changing them to something more secure as soon as this whole dilemma is over.

“Damnit, it won’t let me get through.” Asher says, trying to sound angry but the dejection in his voice was clear.

Royce checks what he wrote, making sure he hadn’t sent Asher any errors or the wrong information. “Did you use the right symbols?”

“No, no it’s not that. Everything has locked down. I can’t even get into the Towers’ system to sign in.”

That certainly wasn’t good. When Bracket Towers’ system locks down the _entire tower_ will lock down. There were a few ways to unlock it but the most direct would be accessing the entry points from outside near the entrance. This was a waste spending nearly half an hour trying to gain connection through the now broken down OVC terminal.

“I’m going to get there as quick as I can. Wasted too much time standing around here.” He could have been making a decent amount of progress if he had just moved on why didn’t he move on why did he think that hacking into his own account would be able to work?

“No, Royce, wait.” And he looks at his screen, seeing that Asher’s stern tone did not match his expression. “It may have delayed your way here but it’s good that you managed to connect to the Cloud. We both really thought that you had somehow perished or that the Transistor had integrated the rest of you.” He interrupts Royce before the other could even speak. “What the hell were we supposed to think? The Transistor was was hurling at you with a speed impossible to avoid. For god’s sake, you vanished in the blink of an eye. We didn’t know, we couldn’t have known. And Sybil she… I’m not… I don’t think she’s alright. I don’t think she’ll be okay on her own. Grant and I barely got out of that mess in one piece.”

At the mention of Sybil, Royce reaches out and the Transistor’s hilt landed in his hand. He keeps it out of range from the terminal’s line of sight, not in the mood to have Asher question him. He’d tell them about Sybil when he catches up to them. For now, he can’t keep talking and standing in this one spot while who knows what other part of Cloudbank the process was blanking out.

“How is Grant?”

Asher looked frustrated then. “I’m not getting through to him.”

Royce’s brows raised in question. Asher continued.

“He was angry. Wouldn’t let me try calming him down. I was angry, too, but at a time like this we can not afford losing ourselves. I can understand him. We sacrificed so much, Royce, people have lost their lives. People who were supposed to live in a better future. No one could have ever been prepared for something like this. No one knows what to do.”

“I know what to do.” Royce would say, trying not to sound as impatient as he felt.

“I really hope you do. Aside from that, I’m still thankful that you managed to get through the wireless. I’m going to tell Grant, alright? I’ll get him to call you later on.”

Royce nods, getting ready to hang up. “That sounds great. I’ll see him then.” And the call ends. Royce does his best to fit his OVC tablet in the pocket of his vest with some difficulty. These pockets were smaller- he finds himself longing his coat.

“Y_u di_dn’t te_ll_ them?” Sybil’s voice rang from the Transistor and it nearly makes him jump. He’s soon on his way, walking quickly and going through the less open areas to avoid any run ins with the process.

“Tell them what?” Royce asks, giving some weeds several crashes with the sword. “Tell them I shattered you into pieces?”

That kept her quiet this time. That or it she must still not like the sound of her processed voice. That was fine that was fine, less distractions.

 

~~ >>>> ~~

 

Half of the skyline has disappeared. Traverson Hall and the Annex building- almost like they didn’t exist. Royce walks along the empty streets of Cloudbank, noticing that this part of town had gotten severely hit by the process. Blank buildings and bright red glows coming from the windows.

 This had not been what they were going for. But he can fix this. He can definitely fix this.

He steps onto one of the lifts, the platform giving a little shake as it starts going up. It wasn’t long until the process decided to surprise him with an ambush. Luckily he’s gotten a better hang at using the Transistor. Not so luckily for him… the process seems to be getting little upgrades of their own. This clearly can prove to be troublesome.

The Highrise doesn’t seem to be too affected by the process, almost as though they haven’t gotten a chance to explore this bit. His OVC tablet lets out a blip and he shimmies it out of his vest pocket to see if Asher or Grant had any progress.

 **[‘Process’ Spreads to 66% of Cloudbank]** the bright headline would say. They must be using the emergency communications system, used only to send mass messages to the people in case of an urgent event. Royce picks up the pace. Two-thirds of the city was a lot to have lost in such little time. He can’t even imagine what an entire hour could result in damage. **[Casualty rates are unknown though missing person reports crossed 100,000 as of this writing.]** He needs to hurry.

 “On_ hundr_d th_usand.” Sybil would comment, sounding (if possible) breathless at such a large number of missing people.

 “And the number will rise if we don’t hurry.” Royce says, reassurance not his top priority. A part of him is a little more relieved at the lack of glitches and distortion when Sybil spoke, seeing that she was starting to sound a little more human, a little more like herself.

 “I am aw_re of th_t.”

 And then

 “Beh_nd y_ou, Roy((e!” But as soon as he turns to face his potential opponent he’s immediately pushed back by a hard force. _Damnit damnit that hurts._

 “D_own bo_y!” Sybil snaps at the processed dog, letting out a “Ha!” when Royce unleashed his attacks.

The dogs were certainly a bunch of pests, taking phrase having its bark worse than its bite to whole other level. Again, this little fight didn’t last long. Just another little obstacle. Royce makes his way to the gondola that would lift him to the rooftops, staying in caution in case there would be another ambush while he was on the lift.

 That was when an electrifying pulse shocked at the air, the Transistor suddenly feeling heavy in his arms as its centered glowed a too vibrant red. He turns quickly to see just what the hell had been flying in the air right behind them, but any trace of it had been gone. Except for the effects it had left on the Transistor.

 “Ah- R_yc_e uhh-” He’s surprisingly alarmed with how far away Sybil’s voice sounded. “I’m_- start_ng t_ lose y_u...”

 “Sybil?” He cautiously calls for her, trying to gain her attention or snap her back to him. Startled by her seemingly intoxicated state and the sudden ambush of the processed dogs, he initiates a quick turn.

 “Wh_t’s g_ing on?”

 “Something is messing with the Transistor. Messing with you. We will most likely have a run in with whatever the hell that had been soon enough.” Because honestly, the way his luck was going. But they were close.

 They go on another lift, taking them higher, taking them right to Bracket Towers, the place that’s changed more than a thousand times.

 Royce starts when the ground before him shakes and he could hear the sound of an inhuman creak coming from the sky. He manages to catch a quick glimpse of it, seeing just the end of it as it flew by too quickly.

 “Th_ Spin_e of th' wor_ld...”

 “What?” He questions her, proceeding ahead with caution as he brushes off the familiar phrase. Royce could hear the distant pounding of one of those Jerks and he creeps around the corner to see the thing accompanied by two processed dogs. This version was different, definitely a lot more upgraded. Just as he got close enough to attack, something flew down from the sky and destroyed the three obstacles in less than a second.

 “Oo_h th_t’s not g_ood..”

 Yeah, no kidding. He jaunts up ahead past those damned walls as the thing attacking them slammed down closer and closer.

 “Is that wh_at’s doin thi_s to m_e?”

 Most likely. Even his tablet was starting to make weird sounds whenever that thing landed close to them.

 “B_ck ther_e..” Sybil starts, words ending in a static slur. “Th_ink that w_s just th_ tail.”

 She was right. And damn was that thing persistent.

 “I s_ee the Sp_ine…”

 And as soon as she says so the damned thing decides to crash down right next to him, nearly making him fall back. _The Spine, the Spine, why was that so familiar?_ And with realization, he turns to look at the horizon where most of the buildings lied.

One of the tallest buildings was missing. _The Spine._

Oh, _no way._

This was just insulting. And yet, he couldn't find any rebuttals as to why his sudden theory couldn't be possible. Perhaps maybe the thought of a _building_ gaining some sort of sentience and... moving _flying_ on its own was kind of a hard concept to believe.

Whatever the hell was going on, he needed to get Sybil and himself out from where it could easily find them.

 

 

 


	4. Spine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beast is finally confronted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda short/ written in a "drabble-like" way. Somewhat of a filler/ mainly dialogue and not as much action as I wanted it to have ahhhhh.

 “We’ve gone back here, again?” Sybil asks, having taken notice the tropical scenery. Royce looked a bit disgruntled, pressing his weight against the Transistor in an attempt to catch his breath.

  It has not been easy out there.

 Whatever interference the Transistor was going through, it had certainly complicated the current situation.

 For one thing, it’s gotten unnecessarily heavier to carry.

 Another thing, the shots and strikes have gotten intolerably inaccurate unless he used it as melee. Every missed shot is time lost during a turn.

 “Just a brief intermission.” Royce would answer, using a thumb to go over some bruises and blisters on his hand; most likely from carrying the Transistor around. He rolls back a shoulder when suddenly aware of the ache.

 “You look sore.” Sybil interludes, concern undeniably clear in her voice. The Transistor lightens up when she speaks.

 “Must be from carrying you around.”

 She scoffs. “ _Oh_ , that’s-” A pause. “That’s fair.”

 Royce takes his weight off of the Transistor, grabbing the hilt and hefting it over onto his shoulder.

 “We’re ready?” Sybil asks and Royce responds with a nod. He’s fully aware that he can be seen. He’s not sure how, and while curious, those are questions best asked for later.

 

~~ >>>>>>~~

 

 There hasn’t been much development in the process. Nothing that he hasn’t seen before. Which was great, in his opinion, because as of now he’s highly discouraging any surprises.

 With a grunt he raises the Transistor over his head and strikes down the Clucker as hard as he could.

 “ _Ha! Yeeeah, you got it_.” Sybil slurs with a weak cheer right afterwards. As soon as they had stepped out of the Sandbox, the Spine had started having its effects on the Transistor.

 The creature was starting to be more of a nuisance, coming by more and more frequently at a time. It was just the tail at least, spontaneously coming down striking whatever the hell stood beneath it. Royce briefly wonders why the entirety of the damned thing wouldn’t just come down but he concluded that it was just too _big_ to land.

  
~~ >>>>>>~~

 

**[URGENT: Immediate Response Requested]**

 Royce skims through the short message and he comes across the two options.

**[Central Authority urges all individuals to provide preferences as soon as possible.]**

**NARROW SEARCH - HIGHER QUALITY**

**WIDE SEARCH - MORE RESULTS**

 “ _Everyone is.. taking a vacation it seems_.” Sybil remarks and Royce is almost unsure how she was able to read the terminal from her position.

 

* * *

 

 Asher had called. 

 

 “How are you progressing?”

 “Could be better, could be worse. Could certainly be better.” Royce answered.

 Asher sighs. “I can agree with you on that.”

 “I’m getting closer to the towers, is what counts. I won’t be long. Maybe. There are countless obstacles that make their appearance and I keep having to take other routes. _Many_ detours.” And it’s true, all those little shortcuts and easy paths have either been blocked off or destroyed and that only elongated the time it took to get to his destination. “I think… sometime along the next hour. I’ll get there by then. Have you been able to bypass the system?”

 “Yes and no.” Once again, Asher’s frustrated expression is very visibly translated through the OVC tablet. “All I did was reboot the surveillance. I can see the streets. Or. What’s left of them.”

 There’s a pause.

 “We can see you from here.”

 Royce cocks his head and gives the Transistor a glance. Thankfully, even in her current state, Sybil has remained quiet. “I assume you can. A lot of the cameras focus on the main pathways. It’s not like I’ve been hiding away or trying to find unpopular paths.”

 “No, Royce, listen.” Asher leans in forward, almost as if trying to tell a secret. Grant must have not been too close by. “It’s pointless. All the run ins you have with the process. As soon as you move on they just respawn.”

 “Of course they respawn. I get rid of them to get them out of my way. So I can pass through and advance. But it doesn’t rid that area from them. Not permanently.”

 “ _Listen_. Everywhere you’ve been, as soon as you leave, they come back and they destroy the area. There’s nothing back there.”

 “That can be fixed. As soon as the process is taken care of, the Transistor can be used to fix Cloudbank.”

 “But at what cost? You’re alone out there. Hasn’t that bothered you, Royce? That there’s no one out there? Not one single person on the streets?”

 Royce doesn’t answer. It’s not like he hadn’t noticed. He was going to be realistic. He saw the count from the terminal. A missing count of more than 100,000 people. A number that has most likely increased since he’s last seen it. But there was no way that those people could be found. He’s seen what the process does to people. If not turning them into one of them, then, completely erasing them along with the city. Those people were gone. Lost. Painted over like nothing.

 “I should move on.” Royce says.

 A sigh.

 “Right.”

 The call ends.

 The Transistor sparks as Sybil’s slurred voice is heard. “ _When will you… tell them.. I’m here_?”

 “They don’t need that right now.”

 “ _I wanna. Speak to them, y’know_?”

 Royce puts the OVC tablet away, picking up the Transistor and lugging it over his shoulder. “You can speak to them when we get there.”

 Her silence was a blessing, for now, and he moves on forward.

 

* * *

  


**[Monstrosity Attacks Bracket Towers**

**Eyewitness reports confirm presence of a massive organism in downtown Cloudbank]**

 “ _You don’t say_?” Sybil’s voice sang and once more Royce wonders how she could see the terminal from there.

 There’s the sound of a bark behind him.

 “ _I can see you from here. Did you know_?” Sybil would suddenly say.

 Royce strikes down on one of the processed dogs, backpedaling to a stop just in time to avoid the tail crashing down in front of him.

 “Fully aware. Yes.” He answers, breath coming out in a huff.

 “ _Down here, with me. But you’re not.. doing anything._ ”

  He rests against the Transistor once the final processed dog was taken care of.

 “Down there with you?” He asks, brushing it aside and assuming this is just the interfered part of Sybil talking.

 “ _Right here. Lying next to me. But when I look up at the sky, where the clouds should be, there’s also you up there_.”

 Oh.

 “Where did you find me?”

 “ _Dunno. You were lying there. In some fields. So I lied down next to you_.”

 It makes sense. Sort of.

 Royce has recorded himself into the Transistor beforehand. Mainly as an extra boost for it. Unlike the others who get fully integrated, he had willingly put part of himself into the Transistor. While he had pondered about it, Sybil had now confirmed that inside the Transistor there was an inactive version of him.

 “ _I’ll watch over you. Both of you._ ”

 But there was no time to dwell on it now.

 He steps onto the platform and it slowly starts to rise to take him to a higher level.

 His OVC tablet starts to buzz and he pulls it out, tapping on the screen.

**[Incoming Call: Asher Kendrell]**

 “ _I’ll be quiet. I know._ ”

 Royce answers the call. He’s really surprised to find not Asher looking at him through the screen.

 

 “Royce. It’s good to see you.”

 He doesn’t respond.

 “I can see that you’re as talkative as ever.”

 Oh, please. “You’re doing well, Grant?”

 “More or less, yes.” Though Grant’s expression seem to say otherwise. He was easy to read. So was his current condition. He looks tired. Heartbrokened. This was his city. And sure, this city was all theirs, but Grant had been the one to watch it grow. The one who had seen the most changes. All those years of change and progress suddenly erased by a mistake.

 It wasn’t going to be easy to handle.

 Royce looked over his shoulder, making sure nothing snuck up on him.

 “Don’t worry. There’s nothing there.” Grant reassures. He notes the look Royce gives him. “I can see you. Through surveillance. There’s nothing coming your way for now.”

 “I’m almost there. Just a little more to go.” Royce confirms.

 There’s a hand on Grant’s shoulder and Asher leans down slightly to be leveled with the tablet. “Don’t take the left path. Covered with the process.” He says, turning to Grant and greeting him with a quick peck to the cheek.

 Royce would have turned away from the brief form of PDA, but there was something startlingly reassuring about how those two managed to support each other in these trying times.

 “There still isn’t a trace of Sybil. In the surveillance.” Grant says. “Keep an eye out for her. She must have been on her way her to the towers.”

 It was amazing how one can latch onto hope. But Royce sees the look they give him and for their sake, he nods. “Will do.”

 “Also, if you see anyone else-”

 Asher suddenly clasps his hand onto Grants arm, eyes widened. “Grant. The screen-!”

 Grant’s eyes flickered to the screens and his expression changes. “Royce! Get ou… of-”

 The tablet’s screen starts to freeze and buffer.

 “Royce!”

 And before he could even take a step forward, the tail comes down and pierces him from above.

 “The scre..ens. We h..ave to…” Came Grant's voice from Royce’s broken tablet.  
 “Can’t… a thing.. is he”

 “Oh .. god.. w… th..t”

 And the shattered tablet powers down.

 “ _Watch out. For the tail._ ” Sybil manages to warn.

 Oh, damn it all.

 He has a massive headache, body feeling heavy.

 “ _Pull yourself together._ ”

 Wonderful. “Same goes for you. It’s here.”

 And it violently makes its way down, landing in front of him and destroying whatever was in it’s way. It lands hard and the ground tremors. Royce keeps his footing. Half of his energy felt lost.

 He moves out of the way just as a massive beam shoots out of the beast’s mouth, following the direction he’d run to. _Just dodge just dodge and it won’t be so bad._ The Transistor’s current malfunction didn’t make it any easier; neither did Sybil’s witty remarks. Still. There’s comfort in knowing that there was someone on his side of the battlefield.

 The Spine certainly knows how to pack a punch, relentless with its attacks and it’s strikes from the tail. Not to mention the process also backing it up with frequent spawns. Long story short, it was a pain in the ass.

 Unlike the other process, the Spine at least was stuck to just one spot, attacking viciously and harshly by just moving its head and all Royce could do is have good timing and constant adrenaline.

He uses packets, laying them in front of the Spine and setting them off with crashes, and it took four full turns until the head of the creature came right off in a flare of light. It left a great gaping crater where it use to be. From where he stood, breathless and exhausted, Royce was able to hear a heartbeat echoing from inside the beast. How could that even be possible? The process were sentient, yes, but alive?

 If that thing was still pumping and living, then Royce would have no choice but to go inside and break its heart.

 The agonized noise it makes is almost satisfying.

 “ _Ah..hh._ ”

 The bright red light coming from the Transistor’s center dims down and it starts to look healthy once more. The static sound it had emitted fades off to where it’s barely audible.

 “Oh- I.. it feels much better.” Sybil sounded like her regular self again, more or less. Her tone perks once she realizes where they were. “We’re right here. This should take us right to the entrance, shouldn’t it?”

 Royce glances over at his wrecked tablet sitting away not too far off. “Yes. We’d have to take a little longer to unlock the main door due to the security lockdown but right after that all we have to do it walk right in.”

 Of course, easier said than done.

 


	5. Proxy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are multiple reunions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No lie this was the longest that took me to write but it was my favorite :')
> 
> Note, this has a bit of chatspeak/ changes format a bit to conform for the chatspeak!

 

 

**[ Firewall Override 1 of 2, Authorizing… ]**

**…………………………………………………………………………. [Access Granted]**

 

 The area was bigger than expected. Most likely due to new archives and files and data.

 “I’ve never been around here before.” Sybil says, seeing the new and wide area.

 Royce is left a bit breathless from all the rushing around and going up and down the stairs. He’s a little less talkative. Now that they’re this close, he needs to be on full focus to make sure nothing went wrong.

 “These are the archives? Anyone could just come up here and just access all of these.”  
 “Security is a little off.” Royce huffs out an answer. “Usually it’s just a _bit_ harder to get up here.”

 Sybil makes a little sound of astonishment. “Nothing has been affected up here. Not even the Process have made it this far. It’s some type of lead, isn’t it? We could be ahead by some way?”

Royce briefly contemplates on whether or not he should try to hack into or rewrite that terminal to try and get into contact with either Grant or Asher. But they were already this close. Just a couple more minutes and they’d all be reunited. "Let's not start questioning our luck _now._ "

 

**[ Firewall Override 2 of 2, Authorizing… ]**

**…………………………………………………………………………. [Access Granted]**

“We’re kind of breezing through this. That’s great. We deserve a break. Speaking of which, Royce, you haven’t used any of the breakrooms-”

 And there was the sound of a bark right behind them. Perhaps this was a conversation best left for another time.

It seemed fitting; a final rough fight before they could get to their destination. But it was nothing he couldn't handle.

Once the area was clear the main doors for Bracket Towers slide open.

 And they finally go though.

 

* * *

 

 

 “Oh, god Royce.”

 She saw them right before he did. He almost yearns to never have seen them in the first place.

 Grant sat on the ground, leaning sloppily against the large board behind him. Asher lied still at his feet. Wine glasses were shattered next to them, the remains of a fluid spilled carelessly.

 “Check if they.. are they okay? Oh, _god Royce_.” Sybil’s voice started to waver as she spoke and Royce is kneeling by the two silent men.

 He calls for them, shaking them and checking their pulse and he couldn’t feel a thing. They couldn’t feel a thing.

 Royce stares them down, disbelief clouding his features. He had been speaking to them less than an hour ago, discussing what they were going to do as soon as he caught up to them.

 Why would Grant do it? _Partner in crime_ , the elder had previously joked about. Years and years of familiarity and acquaintance.

 And Asher. Who had too much to live for. The youngest out of the four of them, wasn’t he?

 The distant fade in and out of the terminal nearby caught his attention; had caught it; been flashing ever since he had gotten here.

 Asher’s log in was still in use.

 

**[ You Sent A Private Message to: Red ]**

**Sent Minutes Ago From Bracket Towers Top**

**|** |

 **|** |

**[NOW PLAYING PRIVATE MESSAGE]**

“I couldn't stay. To meet with you in person. Grant, he couldn't wait any longer. Why he would leave me.. .I'd sooner take an eternity in the Transistor. But, he was no longer seeing straight. Or perhaps he decided he'd seen enough. We knew the stakes of what we wanted to accomplish. And we knew that if we were to fail, we would do so together. As one. See you in the Country.”

 

**[ END OF PRIVATE MESSAGE ]**

 

 “Perhaps. Perhaps those few minutes to stop and fix one of those terminals beforehand.. wouldn’t have been a waste.”

 Sybil doesn’t reply. That’s fine.

 He needs to move on.

 Royce rechecks the layout of the message. “Sent to Red.” He reads aloud.

 The Transistor flickers.

 He shouldn’t really look through the messages of a dead man.

 

 There were many messages directed to Royce himself after the final attack of the Spine, sent but never received due to the lack of connection. And the fact that the Spine had destroyed his OVC tablet. A lot of those messages mentioned hoping he hadn’t died.

 

**Private Message to: Bracket, Royce**

**[18 Sent; 18 Unread]**

**Sent 50 Minutes Ago**

**|** |

 **Asher Kendrell:** Please respond as soon as you can!

 **Asher Kendrell:** What the hell was that thing?

 **Asher Kendrell:** What has it done to you?

 **Asher Kendrell:** Oh god Royce it’s knocked out the surveillance.

 **Asher Kendrell:** We don’t know what’s happening where you are.

 **Asher Kendrell:** All I can do is merely hope you aren’t dead but it is not enough.

 **Asher Kendrell:** Royce

 **Asher Kendrell:** Royce!!

 **Asher Kendrell:** We can’t see you in any of the surveillance cameras.

 **Asher Kendrell:** Please contact us as soon as you can!

 **Asher Kendrell:** Oh god, don’t tell me that thing managed to kill you

 **Asher Kendrell:** Please Royce

 

**Sent 25 Minutes Ago**

**|** |

 **Asher Kendrell:** There isn’t much more I could do

 **Asher Kendrell:** There wasn’t much that could have been done.

 **Asher Kendrell:** Perhaps I didn’t do enough?

 **Asher Kendrell:** Could there be no one left?

 **Asher Kendrell:** To be one of the last few standing is a  
burden I would never wish on anyone else

 **Asher Kendrell:** If I could I’d be very willing to sincerely  
apologize to whomever I’ll be leaving this burden to.

 

 And that had been the end of it.

 Royce backs out of that inbox, briefly skimming over any of Asher’s recent messages.

 There was the public announcement. The declaration of guilt.

 There were at least five messages sent to Red.

 Of all people. Why was it that she became so significant?

 

**Private Message to: Red**

**[12 Sent; 12 Read]**

**|** |

**Red: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Asher Kendrell: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Red: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Asher Kendrell: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Red: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Asher Kendrell: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Red: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Asher Kendrell: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Red: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Asher Kendrell: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Red: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Asher Kendrell: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Red: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Asher Kendrell: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Red: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Asher Kendrell: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Red: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Asher Kendrell: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Red: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Asher Kendrell: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Red: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Asher Kendrell: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Red: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Asher Kendrell: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Red: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Red: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

**Red: &%8<<chat deleted>>4&@**

 

 Of course.

 “I’m getting something.” Sybil would say, the Transistor brightening up once Royce picked it up and walked passed the bodies of Grant and Asher.

 Stepping closer to the two the Transistor buzzed in Royce’s hands, a low and gruff gravelly noise emitted as the sword shuddered to a stop.

  _Right right. Integration._ Grieving for too long won’t solve a single thing.

 Royce lets go of the blade and uses a hand motion to raise it, fingers flicking over to Grant. It wasn’t as volatile as the integration of the other subjects; most likely having to do with the fact that both Kendrells had been recorded beforehand. The sword moves to Asher next, the Transistor warbling briefly as it takes him in.

 The hilt is once more in Royce’s hand and he waits for the Transistor to settle down, able to see the quick currents go up and down the sword in cycles.

 “What do we do?”

 Sybil’s voice nearly startles him.

 “Suppose we move on.”

 A pause. “How? To where?”

 “We were on our way here to build that bridge, remember? Fairview. We have to get going to Fairview and finally solve this.” With that being said, he raises the Transistor with a flick of his wrist, attempting to override the building lockdown that had taken over the Towers. It doesn’t even take a minute.

 

**[Bracket Towers Mas. OVC Term.: Rebooting]**

**[Bracket Towers Mas. OVC Term.: Online]**

**[Type: User and Code]**

 

 Royce quickly types something into the large keyboard.

 

**Cloud data: Authorized**

**User Authenticated: Royce Bracket [Status: Online]**

**|**

**[Compose New Message?]**

**|**

**Red added to Topic**

**|**

**[Private Message to: Red]**

Sent seconds ago from Bracket Towers Top

 **|** |

 **Royce:** are you still there

 

 Royce doesn’t wait to be replied to, switching the screen to the Administrative Controls.

 

**[Imagine a Bridge to Fairview! (poll still in process)]**

**“** _Accessible only by air or sea, Cloudbank's most secluded and beautiful getaway deserves to be seen by all! With sufficient support, a petition would create a walking bridge to connect the southeast edge of Goldwalk Bay to Fairview Island. Fairview would be just a relaxing seaside stroll away! Additional traffic by foot and small motor vehicles expected to have a negligible impact on local commerce._ **”**

**[ >Admin.Authorize.Petition]**

**[Authorize]**

**[Authorizing]**

**………………………………………………………….. [Petition Authorized | The People Have spoken ]**

**Requirements for Fairview Bridge Satisfied. Please Stand by.**

“Bridge is done. All we have to do now is go back to the North side.” Which was going to be a very long walk- especially if the Process had been busy working on whiting out each area of Cloudbank. Who knows how many of them were wandering around at this point- how much of the city they’ve changed or erased.

 “What do we do after we ge-” Sybil starts but is soon interrupted by a brief ringing noise. “Wait was that..? Did you just get a message?”

 

**[Private Message From: Red]**

Se%nt Seconds Ag0 From #&Locati0n%8Unauth0ri%ed#%@

 **|** |

 **Royce:** are you still there

 **Red:** Yes. --R

 **Royce:** just how have you been able to fend off for this long?,

 **Red:** No choice but to stay inside. I am stuck. --R

 

“Stuck?” He repeats aloud, looking quite perplexed. While there were many protected places in Cloudbank, Royce is unsure as to where Red could be that the Process hadn't been able to access yet.

 The Transistor makes a strange noise. “She’s alive?” Sybil asks, more than well knowing the answer.

 “It seems that ah… your primary intentions were completed. She’s even outlived almost all of us.” Royce remarks and he doesn't feel anything wrong in calling Sybil out even at this time.

 

  **[Private Message To: Red]**

Sent seconds Ago from Bracket Towers Top

 **|** |

 **Royce:** stuck where

 **Royce:** seem to be in a very durable place. stuck, well yes.. safe, at least

 **Red:** Even if I knew where I was I have no reason to give you my location. --R

 **Royce:** surely you know that we have no time to get into a dispute

 **Red:** I wouldn't call attempted murder a dispute. --R

 

That… she certainly had a point there.

 

**[Private Message From: Red]**

Sent Seconds Ago From Lo&cati0n Unauth0ri%ed&#

 **|** |

 **Red:** You're holding the sword. --R

 **Royce:** i am. you would know..?

 **Royce:** how did you know

 **Royce:** are you able to access surveillance from where you are.?

 **Red:** Have you murdered any others? --R

 **Royce:** this isn't going anywhere

Drastic measures.

**[Outgoing Call To: Red]**

 

“She will never pick up.” Sybil says, able to hear the ongoing rings.

Royce impatiently taps his finger against the console. “I didn’t hope as much. Wouldn’t hurt to have given it a try.”

 But then Red’s face is on the large screen. If she hadn’t blinked one would have thought it was a picture. The light coming off of the Transistor flickered in response.

 

**[Private Message From: Red]**

Se%nt Seconds Ag0 From #&Locati0n%8Unauth0ri%ed#%@

 **|** |

 **Red:** What are you doing? --R

 

 He wonders why she didn’t speak. Everyone knew her voice. “It’s faster. Speaking face to face, uncomfortable for anyone, understandably. Most understandably. As you know, I am.. Royce Bracket. And you, well, everyone knows you, Ms. Red.”

 She rests her fist on her cheek, a dour expression on her face. Not typing. He continues.

 “You had been the last to speak to one of my.. acquaintances right before his death. Minutes before, actually. About what, I am not sure and admittingly it isn’t any of my business. What is eating at me is why exactly of all people to speak to, it was you specifically.”

 He also has other questions for her. Where did she go after the Event? Where had she been? Where was she now?

 

 

**[Private Message From: Red]**

Sent Seconds Ago From Lo&cati0n Unauth0ri%ed&#

 **|** |

 **Red:** I messaged him. After he sent out the mass message

                                          admitting the Camerata’s crimes. --R

 **Red:** I wanted answers.Why we had been targeted and attacked.

 **Red:** He said it was nothing personal. --R

 **Red:** But when +#B0%#er was killed it suddenly became really personal. --R

 

 “Hm.. yes, we hadn’t been really _aiming_ for him, if that at all makes the scene any clearer.” Royce clarifies, staring down at the censorship of the man’s name. “We didn’t-, at least most of us, weren’t aware that you would have been accompanied by anyone else.”

 Red starts to type.

 “Not at all meaning to sound insensitive. Completely unintentional. I really _am_ sorry for your loss.” Suppose they were even now.

 

**[Private Message From: Red]**

Sent Seconds Ago From Lo&cati0n Unauth0ri%ed&#

 **|** |

 **Red:** Why did you call me? --R

 

 “Yes, very good question. Your location. Of all places you could be in Cloudbank, you’ve somehow managed to land somewhere where, apparently, is impenetrable by the Process. Very _very_ lucky of you.”

**[Private Message From: Red]**

Sent Seconds Ago From Lo&cati0n Unaunth0ri%ed&#

 **|** |

 **Red:** And if I disclose my location? --R

 **Red:** Are you planning to finish what you started? --R

 Oh, no no no.

 Fine.

 He can understand her uneasiness to disclose the one place that she is safe in. “I don’t have any ill-mannered intentions. In fact, my main operative is to control and put a stop to the Process’ actions. The cradle, we call it, it’s in my lab in Fairview. It will solve this problem; send a mass signal that would bring the Process under control-” And Royce pauses when Red abruptly raised a hand, cutting his words off.

 

**[Private Message From: Red]**

Sent Seconds Ago From Bracket Studios: Lab

 **|** |

 **Red:** I turned on my location. --R

 There was a moment of delay.

 “What?”

**[Private Message From: Red]**

Sent Seconds Ago From Bracket Studios: Lab

 **|** |

 **Red:** Is this right? --R

 **Red:** I have no other choice but to assume you will be putting a stop to it. --R

 **Red:** I was just here. I was at the stage and suddenly I was here. --R

 **Red:** Can’t find a way out. But those things can’t find a way in either. --R

 **Red:** I know they are nearby. Nothing can hold them back for eternity. --R

 **Red:** Your studio has access to the surveillance. --R

 **Red:** And from what I’ve seen you’ve been fighting off those things. --R

 **Red:** I can at least trust that you are being honest about putting an end to this. --R

 

 She can think rationally, at least. Someone less to argue with; less time wasted. Royce begins to type, hands moving fast and without a care, not at all stopping back to spot any grammatical errors. “If you follow these you’ll be able to set up a Proxy to meet me at the bridge. It’s a long walk back but… I’ll find some other way to get to the Northside of town. No trouble.”

 

**[Private Message From: Red]**

Sent Seconds Ago From Bracket Studios: Lab

 **|** |

 **Red:** See you soon. --R

 

**[Call Ended, duration 0:05:39]**

 

Royce turns away once the screen turned blank, letting go of the Transistor to let it hover close behind. He goes to the OVC terminal, tapping onto the screen and logging out of Asher’s now abandoned account. He does the same to his own account, not wanting to leave it unsupervised.

 “How are you going go all the way back?” Sybil questions, sounding understandably put off. “The surveillance, have you seen them?”

 When the call had ended the large screen had been replaced with smaller footages of Cloudbank. Everything looked as if it had been covered in snow and Royce almost would have been fooled if it weren’t for the hundreds of Process’ going around and beaming away at any structure. There wasn’t nearly a thing left behind, mysterious hues of red light flowing through empty windows. Decoding in process.

 Royce directs the Transistor through a large glass tube, releasing a big swarm of the Process.

 Time to see just how well his balance is.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 They land on the empty set, Royce left staggering at the rough landing and the Transistor clunking onto the ground next to him.

 The sword lights up, almost mirthful. “That looked like fun.”

 “That was ridiculous.”

 “Oh no,” Sybil presses on. “You could have gone windboarding if you had considered it.”

 Royce moves on from the Empty Set, deciding that the two of them did not did to get reminded of their big fight. Any trace of Sybil’s processed form and his abandoned lab coat wasn’t seen, most likely just turned into blank data along with everything else in the area. He doesn’t get too far before one  of the usual ambushes come into play.

 “Here we go.” Sybil huffs, providing snide little remarks as the Processed dogs and weeds were eliminated. Temporarily, as they had now confirmed. “You’d think they would know to just avoid us.”

 “That is not the case, unfortunately.” He says, hilt tight in his hands incase any last minute surprises showed up.

 The entire auditorium was filled with Cluckers, sitting still in the seats where the audience should be.

 “That’s.. hm.. that’s really..”

 “What the hell?”

 “Yes. Seems about right.”

 

_~~ >>>>>> ~~ _

 

 Cloudbank was a city painted in white. Not another being in sight. If it weren’t for years of memorization and designing Royce would have spent _hours_ trying to find the right way around.

 “Oh, Royce. The terminal.” Sybil points out and he turns to see the blinking light of the terminal. Someone must have sent something out. Maybe there’s other people out there?”  
 They could only hope.

 [ **Farewell to Cloudbank]**

**One reporter's eyewitness account of the city's final hours.**

Posted 06-28-67 by Amelia Garbur, Associate Editor

**EDITORIAL**

**[** _As I stand here on the eastern perimeter awaiting the inevitable, I am surrounded by my community, and I am at peace. It has been my honor and my privilege helping spread the news of the day among the people of this city, and my only regret is having no more time to share with you all. To the west I see nothing, and to the east there is nothing, and so we wait, together, shoulder to shoulder. We will not leave our fair city under any circumstance. I suspect even the Process has figured that out by now. Farewell_. **]**

 

“Ah.”

 So much for keeping their hopes up.

 

_~~ >>>>>> ~~ _

 

 “Almost to the edge of town.”

 “Do you think the bridge will be there?” Sybil questions. “What if the command didn’t go through.”

 “Would definitely be a hell of a walk back.” They were already this far.

 There was a light drizzle by the time they make it to the North side of Cloudbank.

 The Proxy was waiting for them right in front of the too recently made bridge to Fairview. Despite it almost made minutes ago, the Process had already started working on it.

**[Private Message From: Red]**

Sent Seconds Ago From Bracket Studios: Lab

 **|** |

 **Red:** You made it

 Royce nods, briefly checking over the Proxy to make sure it was still nicely intact, the auto-portable screen buzzes when touched. “I hopefully didn’t take too long, Ms. Red?”

**[Private Message From: Red]**

Sent Seconds Ago From Bracket Studios: Lab

 **|** |

 **Red:** Not at all.

 **Red:** The bridge looks very good.

 Finally. Someone that can appreciate art.

 “The robot proxy should follow me from this point on. Another long walk you know. Enough, more than enough, time to catch up.”

 

 He crosses the bridge over onto Fairview.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize in advance if there are any errors! (Honestly hit me up if ya find some that I missed)


	6. Fairview

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Royce can not find a way to cope.
> 
>  
> 
> The two finally meet.
> 
> [ There will be an asterisk * whenever there is cannon monologue from Royce that comes directly from the game. ]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sat myself down with coffee and told myself that I would not go to bed until I finish and post.  
> So here I am. At 5am. Godspeed.

 *“The Process can’t be stopped. Can’t be stopped. However…” Royce pauses briefly to glance over at the proxy even if he knew that she was listening. “The process can be impelled to simply go away. Take its business... elsewhere. Then we’ll be well enough alone. As for the town, we’ll have ourselves a blank canvas. And as for the Transistor, we’ll have ourselves a brush.”

 And as much as he would love to look over and examine the newly created bridge he really did need to move on.

 *“We had a saying, which goes.... When everything changes, nothing changes. You see?” And he sighs, seeing the white and blanked walls and floors at the entrance to Fairview. “When everything changes, nothing changes. But all this?” He gestures. “This _isn’t_ what we had in mind.”

 Red’s expression is unreadable. Perhaps the robot proxy couldn’t translate it well.

 “The Process, it-” And he was cut off by a small explosion that shoved him back. “Could you hold on to that thought for a moment?”

 Royce stands in front of the proxy, Transistor raised as he managed to mask himself and run past the Man with a destructive jaunt.

 

  _Void. Void. Crash. Crash. Breech._ Good as gone.  

 

 “You did it.” And Sybil’s voice nearly startles him. Perfectly clear. Exactly like her. Perhaps a slight static effect due to the Transistor but. He’s positive that Red hadn’t heard her. He doesn’t want the iota of trust she had in him to wane.

 “Ah. As I was... saying. *The Process it’s just. Doing a job. Doing _it’s_ job. Though, I much preferred it when it did mine. But our old friend Grant.. I mean I let him.. I let him borrow it, and he…” His words trail off quietly, walking through familiar paths in the also empty fraction of Fairview. “Well anyway, here we are.” In this situation.

 Royce steps into one of the currents and takes taken to another part of Fairview. Compared to where he had last been, this portion was very much more affected by the process. Red is still silent and he finds himself studying her through the proxy. Strange. No one usually manages to let him ramble off. Is he "monologuing?" Natural that human company might be missed. *”We knew we’d have our detractors. What we were doing was... wrong. In... the traditional sense. In the contemporary sense.” And he sends the Proxy up ahead without him, waiting about a minute before finally jumping to the elevating current.

 

 

 It practically felt like flying. A never ending trust fall that went. Up.

 He holds tight to his Transistor, refusing to let it slip through his fingers with the force of the current. It must be almost over. This whole thing. Having had traversed nearly half of Cloudbank, confronted his accomplices, defended himself against the Process he’s _tired_.

 So he decides to enjoy this short ride, cheek practically pressed against the Transistor in his hold. It took no effort. He could loosen up even if it was just going to be for these next two or three minutes. Soon he was going to see Red. And he does not know where things will go after their main conflict is resolved.

 He lets the current take him.

 

 

 

 

 And then he lands onto the next platform.

 

_~~ >>>>>>~~ _

 

 The Proxy wasn’t where he’d directed it to go. That or perhaps the current had pushed it a little more farther than he had calculated and _god_ what does math even matter at a time like this? He reaches for his coat pocket, perhaps for a cigarette, but stops half way when he remembers that _oh yeah his coat practically does not exist anymore._ Must be habit.

 “How horrible.”

 Royce raises a brow at Sybil’s voice. All of this was quite horrible, yes. But. “What is?”

 “I’ve only visited Fairview twice and now look at it.”

 “Very. very bland, is it now?”

 “Almost worse than your taste in food.”

 And Royce is nearly left gasping from laughter, arms wrapped around his stomach. _No no no no he can’t get hysteric yet. There was still ways to go he needed to move on forward and not..._

_Lose himself._

 He heaves out a sigh, using the Transistor to lean his weight on as he caught his breath.

 “Er. Are you alright?” Sybil asks, tone too startlingly concerned and Royce nearly beams at the Transistor. _No, he most certainly is not but for Cloudbank’s sake he’s going to have to be._

 “Just got caught up. Nothing to dwell on. Not a thing to dwell on whatsoever, Should move on. My lab isn’t too far from here.” He looks down at the sword, questioning, before he begins walking again. “Have you seen anyone else? Looked around?”

 The Transistor hums. “No, I’ve been sitting here.”

 “Not exploring? Though, please correct if I am wrong, perhaps there isn’t much to look at after all?”

 “It isn’t that.” Sybil says in a way that made him imagine she shook her head as she spoke. “You’re here too, remember?”

 What.

  _Oh. His recorded trace._ “My copy? It won’t go anywhere. Not unless I personally go into the Transistor myself and carry on in his place.”

 The Transistor hums again. “I’m aware. You- he?- hasn’t done a thing since I sat here. Looks like you’re sleeping” She hesitates. “It wouldn’t feel right if I left you here, wouldn’t it?”

 Royce thinks it through for a short moment. “Do as you’d like. I don’t-”

 “ _R_yce.”_

The voice sounds scratchy. Almost as though there was… bad reception?

 

Was the Spine around again? In these parts? “Sybil?” Royce calls out, caution in his voice.

 “Oh!” Sybil sounded just fine. Then what was- “Oh god, Asher!”

 

“ _Syb_l I co        ..           _y 0v_      . I_ c_n’t beli_ve that !!!!! _-_ ”

 “Oh, Royce, he’s here, too!” She cuts him off. “Asher is here. Can you hear him, also?”  
 He most definitely can. Seems that the closer Asher would get to Sybil, the better his words were deciphered. Translated.

 Royce swallows down the feeling of nausea. Strange. To hear someone who had recently left an apologetic suicide note sound so. Riled up. Not in the negative way.

 “Seems like nearly the entire gang is here.” he’d say, humorlessly. “Can you hear me, Asher?”

 “Yes.” Asher answered almost too confidently. As though he hadn’t just. Done what he _did_.

 And Royce won’t reprimand him for it. For not waiting a few more minutes. He supposes that it is amazing what sorrow and bitter impulse could make a person do. “Maybe Grant won’t be too far behind?”

  “I hope not.” Asher sounds relieved. “I very badly want to see him.”

   Right. “He always has-” Royce ends up pausing mid sentence when he approached the proxy. He straightens up as the device turned to him, Red’s face on the screen. “Apologies. I’m almost to my lab. I seem to have sent the proxy further ahead than I anticipated."

**[Private Message From: Red]**

Sent Seconds Ago From Bracket Studios: Lab

 **|** |

 **Red:** It’s fine.

 **Red:** I suggest we move on.

 **Red:** Quickly.

 Great idea. He can agree completely.  As for his conversation with the other two.

That could wait.

 

* * *

 

**[Private Message From: Red]**

Sent Seconds Ago From Bracket Studios: Lab

 **|** |

 **Red:** What does it do?

 **Red:** How does that thing work?”

  Royce briefly thinks the questions through. *“There’s these traces.. inside the Transistor. Everyday people once upon a time, but now. Well. Not quite themselves and they’re… trapped.” He quickly rephrases. “No walls in there mind you, it’s just, they’re on their own.” _Listen close enough and one could hear them. Some of them. The ones one would know._

 

_~~ >>>>>>~~ _

 

 The next time Royce rode a current he was almost surprised to have landed at a spot where the Process hadn’t affected..  _that much._ He doesn’t bother check the terminals. Even if someone were to be updating all of this somehow, that wasn’t his priority.

 *”Whenever people make a change, whether to the.. sea or..  the sky or anywhere in between. The Process does the _real_ work. Invisible; behind the scenes. Well I say whoever does the real work ought to get the credit. So, I found a way to put the Process center stage! A way to keep the Process working in concert. In harmony.”

 Moving on deeper through Fairview showed too obvious signs of the Process. Disoriented the area. At some point he thinks he walked on the ceiling instead of the ground. *”The Transistor. I’ve no idea what’s inside it really.” Everything at this point had been guesses and deductions. “Who or what. I’ve my theories but, well that’s really what they are is just… theories. I’ve seen inside it. Just a little look but I didn’t see much, didn’t see much at all. It was like… staring at the sky.” He stops walking at some point, taking note of the bright lights up ahead. He’s almost there.

 *”This town, it changes shape, all the time, right? Bridges, parks, highways. Rising, falling... rising and falling at the people’s whim. With the changing of the seasons, even the seasons. They’re just… whim. Why I guess I just grew weary of it. After a while. Things changing all the time. _All the time.”_

He takes another current.

 

_~~ >>>>>>~~ _

 

 *“I knew Grant half my life. Principled persuasive man. Very persuasive.” A beat. “I’ll miss him. He appreciated my work. Supported my endeavors. The Camerata it was his idea. I was all for it! All for it, at first. But then, well, I’d say the rest was history but… that’s not quite the case,”

 

 *“Where I found it… where I found it… why, I found it on a lark! Right around here, geographically speaking. Although geography is.. only one small factor. There was also the math. Awful lot of math involved. Wasn’t entirely myself when I found it, you might say.” The Lab was so _so_ close. “Sometimes I think.. I didn’t find it al all. More like, the otherwise around. You understand? Maybe it was looking for someone like me.”

 His ramblings are then quite rudely interrupted by a sudden attack, though, he used his turn as soon as they showed themselves. Assess the enemy. Plan their fall.

 And now he’s here.

 The entrance leading to his studio was affected by the Process. But he felt relief when the inside looked as it should.

 “Now, I know you will be cautious of me and that is perfectly fine. We can go at this slow. One at a time.” Royce says, though instead of facing the proxy he faced Red herself, standing on a rather high platform. She would be safe there, guaranteed. “It’s relatively safe here. If you could lower down the walls. There should be a.... Key. On that screen you’re facing. You see it?”

 The wall in front of him lowers and he passes through.

 They go at it like this, Royce speaking to her and her letting a wall down one by one until he could arrive at the cradle. Compared to the rest of the studio, the cradle was brightly lit. Could light up an entire closet if it tried. An amber color that somehow contradicted it’s usual warm stereotype. _This is it. He’s here. He is 100% certain that this will work yet something is gnawing at the pit of his stomach._ His hold on the Transistor is hard. Firm.

 “Royce.” Sybil says and he’s slightly startled by how alarmed she sounded.

 “Has this been attempted before? Does it work?” Asher follows not too far after,

 Royce lets go. Watches as the Transistor is taken; hovering over the cradle and slowly descending.

 “ _Please_. Kn0w what y0u’re doin_g”  Grant’s voice is quite gruffly heard but Royce could understand every word.

 And despite how tired he felt. He gives the three of them his most confident look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

*“Let’s see, the good news… well the Process I think we got it. Contained it so… the town is going to be alright. It’s just well, someone’s going to have to rebuild. But, we flew a little close to the flame there so…” Royce stares off ahead, trying to find the words that could describe a complicated situation in a simple manner. “Now…. we’re here, not there.”  

 He doesn’t hear a single word from Red.

 “We’re stuck.” He concludes. “And unfortunately the only way back that I’m aware of is… well… _unpleasant._ ”

 Unpleasant is a word for it. A fight, perhaps, would also be a word for it. Royce had always found it too dramatic; all those stories told about a fight for honor or a fight to the death. How before anything could finally be resolved there always had to be some final entity left as a challenge.  

 “Let’s get this over with, so...”

 There’s a moment where the two of them mentally prepared themselves. A mutual moment in which they both understood that in order to leave one had to stay.

 “Who gets to go first?” He hears her stand, a little grunt when she picked up a Transistor. Understandable. When one is unused to the handling the sword their first assumption of it is that it will be too heavy, too complicated. It takes a while to get used it. That and Red’s lack of experience with the sword would be Royce’s biggest advantage. “How about… me?” And he quickly uses up the first turn, facing her as he threw his Transistor to the air and shoved forwards to unleash his first few attacks.

 Quite unfair, perhaps, that he hadn’t given her a tutorial. There had been no time. The Process had been taken care of, Cloudbank needed to get rebuilt. And between himself and Ms. Red, there was no one better suited for that role than him.

 She retaliates surprisingly fast, running at him and swinging the sword over her shoulder. Yikes, that will certainly make her sore- not that it mattered.

 The functions must have been split between the two Transistors considering Royce found himself missing a few moves. Jaunt, unfortunately did not end up on his side of the coin thus making him try to keep as much distance from her as he could.

 It’s slightly unnerving being in a battle and not being to hear the voices of the others. Note, the lack of distractions is probably an advantage compared to having three voices speaking to him at once. Or back to back. Did they take turns to speak? Wait wait no no don’t get distracted _damn_ that hurt that _really really_ hurt.

 Royce shakes out the sore in his arm and oh how _unfortunate_ whatever combination she had used actually managed to give him a fracture.

 He uses a turn. He uses a lot of turns when it came to Red who relied on her own cleverness and limited knowledge of the Transistor.

 

 

 Had she snooped through his stuff?

 He sends her a move that blasts her way too far off.

 How he hated the thought of his stuff being touched… looked through.. his own unfinished drafts exposed without his permission.

 

 

 Royce curses under his breath. He expected a good fight out of her. Not _this_ good. Wasn’t this her first use with a Transistor?

 

 He loses a function. Hurts more than it should. She still has all of hers.

 

 Royce: 3

 Red: 4

 

 Royce: 2

 Red: 3

 

 Royce: 2

 Red: 2

 

 This was for the good of Cloudbank herself.

 There was nothing that Red could do with the sword that he couldn’t do himself.

 In fact he was better. Better at this than anyone else could ever be.

 

  “ _Ouch._ That really, really stung.” He hisses at her. At least he managed to remove her jaunt.

 She’s racing right at him and while perhaps being directly struck by a Transistor didn’t take too much damage, it would be quite jarring _and painful_. Due to pure instinct, instead of initiating a turn Royce found himself bringing his own Transistor up and roughly meeting hers with a loud clang. Sparks flew from both swords where they touched and it sent out small waves that buzzed vibrations to his brain and made the hairs on his arms rise up. It managed to push the two opponents back to a safe distance away from one another, at least.

Hurt? No. Disoriented? Slightly.

 

 They should not do that again. “Didn’t care much for that.” He nearly sneers and he grunts as he sends out more attacks.

 

“This is for Grant." He strikes. "This is for Asher." He strikes. "This is for Sybil.” He keeps snapping bitterly, striking at her as she waited for her turn. He’s never felt this worked up before in his life; breath hard, heart pounding, and adrenaline buzzing through his body like fire and instinct. He had meant every taunt and every teasing jab to the woman, not anymore as surprised at how well she put up a fight but honestly there is no one that could handle or was better suited for the Transistor better than he himself.

_He won't let her take this away from him he absolutely refuses he will not let her!_

 

 And suddenly she’s fallen down onto her back, the Transistor that she carried lifting over her head and out of her reach. She watches silently, eyes wide, as that sword shattered into pixels, static buzzing as it fell apart.

 

 Royce stares at her and she’s staring back. Their breaths are in sync.

  There it goes. There. It. goes.

 

 

 There’s a sound that almost makes his ears pop.

 

 

 

 

And everything turns white.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any errors I'll most likely fix after I...... rest. Good god. I loved writing this. Incorporating actual dialogue and mixing it with my own plus gosh I haven't written a fight scene in so long I just really loved writing this. It took me so long to start but as soon as I did I just... went off on it.


End file.
